Emergency exits such as overwing exits are provided on aircraft to supplement the evacuation capacity of the main doors. These exits are usually passenger-actuated and as such must be simple to operate. On the other hand, precautions are necessary to avoid unintentional opening as well as intentional opening when the aircraft is at high altitude.
Emergency doors such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,931,415 and 5,031,863 are attached to the fuselage through a gooseneck hinge member pivotally attached to the fuselage on top of the door. The gooseneck portion of the hinge members forms an inward protrusion when the door is in the closed position and which may be contained within the thickness of the wall. However, a certain wall thickness is required to accommodate the hinge members and in particular the gooseneck portion of the hinge members. Including such a construction in an aircraft having a smaller wall thickness than the one depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,931,415 and 5,031,863 may require a protrusion extending toward the cabin of the aircraft to be formed in the inner wall to accommodate the gooseneck portion of the hinge members.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved connection assembly for an aircraft door that addresses at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art.